Conveyer control system



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United States Patent CONVEYER CONTROL SYSTEM John E. Carroll, Springdale, -Conn., assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, N.Y.

Application December 31, 1956, Serial No. 631,933 22 Claims. Cl. 214-11 This invention relates to conveying systems, and relates more particularly to-conveying systems wherein several feed conveyers alternately transport articles to a main transport conveyer and deliver the articles to one of several exit conveyers in accordance with preselected route descriptions.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved control system for conveyers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved control system for a conveying organization which transports materials in a predetermined sequence from several feed conveyers over a main transport conveyer to one of several exit conveyers according to a preselected manual designation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a control system for conveying apparatus having means for properly spacing separate groups of materials on the transport conveying portion of the system.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of means for detecting a fully loaded exit conveyer and automatically rerouting a respective group of materials to another exit conveyer or shutting off of the conveying system in the event that there is no available exit conveyer.

Other objects, purposes, and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings, and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses.

A clearer understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following detailed description of the specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a control panel for the conveyer and shows the route selecting knobs, and also shows diagrammatically the control panel which includes various levers and indicating lights associated with the manual or direct control of the conveyer exit switches;

Figs. 2A and 2B represent a conveying system in which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied;

Fig. 2C is a code chart indicating the manner in which particular route storage relays are controlled for particular selected exit routes;

Figs. 3A through 3F when placed together show diagrammatically circuits for the control of the entrance portion of the conveyer, the storage and transfer of route descriptions, and for the control of the various means for actuating the entrance and exit switches over the conveyer as shown in Figs. 2A and 213;

Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically the circuits for controlling the indicating lights associated with a conveyer exit switch;

Fig. 5 shows diagrammatically a typical photocell unit "used for the detection of materials passing over the conveyer;

Figs. 6A-6l' illustrate by a single linepdiagramthe a CC 2 progress of three separate groups of materials over the conveyer system as illustrated in Figs. 2A and 23;

Figs. 7A-7J show the sequences of relay operation when the three groups of materials shown in Figs. 6A6I are moved over the conveyer; and

Fig. 8 illustrates by block diagram the function of the respective entrance switches and the routing of respective switch controls through respective storage units.

For the purpose of simplifying the illustration and facilitating in the explanation, the various parts and circuits constituting the embodiment of the invention have been shown diagrammatically and certain conventional illustrations have been employed, the drawings have been made more with the purpose of making it easy to understand the principles and mode of operation, than with the idea of illustrating the specific construction and arrangement of parts that would be used in practice. Thus, the various relays and their contacts are illustrated in a conventional manner, and symbols are used to indicate connections to the terminals of batteries, or other sources of electric current, instead of showing all of the wiring connections to these terminals.

The symbols and are employed to indicate the positive and negative terminals respectively, of suitable batteries, or other sources of direct current; and the circuits with which these symbols are used always have current flowing in the same direction as indicated by the direction of the arrows. The symbol (F-|-) indicates connections to the positive terminal of a suitable battery or other direct current source through the contacts of a flasher or other interrupting means. In one apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention as applied to a conveyer in an industrial plant which is assumed to transport materials from assembly lines for eventual routing to separate storage areas, there is provided three feed conveyers entering on the main transport conveyer through appropriate entrance switches, and four exit conveyers which conduct materials to separate loading platforms through appropriate exit switches leading from the main transport conveyer. There is also provided a manually operable control knob for each feed conveyer which is actuated to select any particular exit spur for a length of materials entering over a distinct feed conveyer.

The conveying equipment is provided according to usual practice in conveying systems of this character. The conveyer is assumed to be of the live roller type in which individual rollers are motor driven by belts, chains or other means. Conventional rotary table type conveyer switches are utilized for both the entrance and exit switches. The entrance and exit switches are operated by suitable power switch machines. Each conveyer switch has associated therewith a detector section comprising various banks of photocells for preventing the actuation of a particular conveyer switch when a group of materials is moving over it. The photocell detector sections also serve purposes to be made more readily apparent as the description progresses with respect to the transfer of route storages as respective groups of materials are moved over the exit portion of the conveyer. A photocell detection unit is provided a certain distance beyond the last entrance switch encountered by a group of materials for providing a detection means of the spacing of successive groups of materials on the transport, conveyer. This photocell unit also serves purposes to be made more readily apparent as the description progresses with respect to the transfer of route storages as respective groups of materials progress over the transport portion of the conveyer. A photocell unit is positioned across the conveyer a certain distance in front of each exit switch to detect the approach of advancing material with respect to the operated position of the exit switch associ- 

